Abstract
Fruit drop is a serious problem in plum trees during fruit development after pollination and fertilization. In order to increase fruit yields, physiological fruit drop in plum trees at the early stages of fruit development must be reduced. In this study, the effect of gibberellic acid paste (GA paste 2.7%) applied on 'Formosa' plum was determined to reduce fruit drop. GA paste was applied one time on one set of the fruit stalk at 3 days after full bloom (DAFB), and on another set of the fruit stalk at 13 DAFB, and then the fruit-set rate was observed at 70 DAFB. GA paste application increased the fruit-set rate up to 61%. In 'Formosa', the time of GA application had a strong influence on reducing fruit drop. GA application increased the fruit-set rate up to 61% in treatments at 3 DAFB, and to 15% in treatments at 13 DAFB when the fruit-set rate was 5% in the control group. The same results were observed in 'Honey Red' and 'Akihime' plums. GA application impacted on fruit enlargement in the 'Formosa' cultivar, compared with the control trees, which had no GA application. The rate of fruit enlargement with GA application was similar to that of the control fruits until 70 DAFB, whereas the enlargement rate was slightly higher in the GAtreated trees than the control from 70 DAFB until harvest. In GA-treated fruit, fruit weight increased more than in the control, while total acidity and firmness was lower than in the control group. Additionally, GA application accelerated sucrose increase in maturing fruit. Our data indicated that GA paste application can reduce fruit drop, and subtly promote fruit enlargement and maturation in plum trees.
본 연구에서는 GA 2.5% 도포제 처리가 자두 과실의 생리적 낙과 억제 및 과실 품질에 미치는 영향을 검토 하였다. '포모사' 과실에 대한 GA 도포제 처리는 과실의 생리적 낙과를 경감시켰으며 수정 후 처리시기가 빠를수록 생리적 낙과방지 효과가 높았다. '포모사' 품종에 GA 도포제를 처리하고 착과율을 조사한 결과, 착과율은 만개 후 3일 처리에서 61%, 만개 후 13일 처리에서 15%로 무처리 5%에 비해 현저히 높았다. GA 도포제 처리구에서 착과율 증가는 '하니레드', '추희' 품종에도 유사한 경향이었다. 또한, GA 도포제 처리는 과실의 비대 및 과실 성숙에 영향을 주었다. GA 도포제 처리구에서 '포모사' 과실의 비대 양상을 조사한 결과, 만개 후 80일까지는 대조구와 유사하였으나, 만개 후 80일 이후에 대조구에 비해 과실 무게가 높게 나타났다. GA 처리된 '포모사' 과실은 과중이 약간 높고, 당도, 산 함량 및 경도는 약간 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 그리고, '포모사' 과실에서는 수확기 직전 즉 만개 후 85일경에 sucrose 함량이 증가하는데 GA 처리는 sucrose 함량 증가시기를 앞당겼다. 이를 종합하면, GA 도포제 처리는 자두에서 과실 생리적 낙과를 경감시켰으며 또한 과실의 성숙을 촉진하고 성숙기에 과실 비대를 촉진하였다.
